Archive for May, 2012

One of the most unnecessary sequels ever made — a Bourne sequel without Jason Bourne — is out soon, and yet the trailer looks pretty interesting. Tony Gilroy (screenwriter of the original films) is back as writer and is also taking over directing duties.

I didn’t post the new teaser for Skyfall (the next 007 film) when it came out, because I didn’t think it showed all that much to get worked up about, but here that is for your compare/contrasting pleasure. Skyfall hits theaters in the US on November 9.

Kickstarter’s website is giving me trouble right now, so rather than make this a Book 2 backers-only strip, I guess everybody gets to read this one. It’s from the upcoming (soon!) Chapter 7 eBook — and, of course, Multiplex: There and Back Again, a.k.a. Book 2 — and it’s set after Multiplex #140 in the archives, though the only significance of that is that Devi is back in town and she hasn’t dumped Jason yet.

Kurt’s sense of humor has rubbed off on Melissa a little over the years, clearly.

This and a couple of the other bonus comics in Chapter 7 are to show a little bit of Devi’s discontentment with their relationship. In the original strips, I felt Devi dumping Jason comes off a bit suddenly, even if the explanation — that Jason didn’t love her (enough) — was always kind of there.

Ruben Fleischer, the director of Zombieland and 30 Minutes or Less, has taken a break from comedies and made what looks like an absolutely kick-ass crime drama, chock full of really strong actors: Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Nick Nolte, Robert Patrick, Michael Peña, Giovanni Ribisi, Anthony Mackie, Emma Stone, and Sean Penn.

Here’s the synopsis:

Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen (Penn) runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and–if he has his way–every wire bet placed west of Chicago. And he does it all with the protection of not only his own paid goons, but also the police and the politicians who are under his control. It’s enough to intimidate even the bravest, street-hardened cop…except, perhaps, for the small, secret crew of LAPD outsiders led by Sgt. John O’Mara (Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Gosling), who come together to try to tear Cohen’s world apart. Gangster Squad is a colorful retelling of events surrounding the LAPD’s efforts to take back their nascent city from one of the most dangerous mafia bosses of all time.

I liked (not loved) Fleischers earlier films, but this looks fantastic. The tone, the look, and the cinematography are all much more distinctive than either of his previous efforts. The film was previously slated for October 12, 2012, but was bumped by Argo, Ben Affleck’s next flick. There’s no official release date at the moment.